Blueprint for Youth Justice in the ACT

The strategic direction for youth justice is set out in the Blueprint for Youth Justice in the ACT 2012-22. The Blueprint has a focus on early intervention, prevention and diversion with custody used as a measure of last resort.

The vision that guides the Blueprint focuses on:

keeping children and young people safe from harm;

building their resilience;

strengthening their connections with their families; and

encouraging their participation in the wider community.

Released in August 2012, the Blueprint was developed by the Youth Justice Implementation Taskforce in consultation with youth justice stakeholders and the broader community.

The Blueprint is supported by a three-year action plan containing 45 actions to be implemented through a whole-of-government, whole-of-community approach. The ACT Government has committed $5.5 million over four years to support the implementation of initiatives under the Blueprint.

Oversight and monitoring of progress on implementing actions is provided by the Youth Justice Blueprint Implementation Group. Specialist and independent advice on priority actions within the plan will be provided by the Youth Justice Advisory Panel.

This first report presents the progress in implementing the Blueprint and demonstrates how outcomes are being met through key indicators for youth justice. The report has two sections—a picture of the data trends for youth justice with a focus on 2012-13 and a summary of progress against the Blueprint’s strategies. Case studies are included to illustrate how significant actions are working.

Over the past year, the focus of work has been on strengthening prevention and diversion strategies and consolidating changes to policy and practices that had already been established. Indicators demonstrate reduced numbers of young people coming into contact with, or becoming further involved in the youth justice system. A challenge continues to be to reduce the disproportionate representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in the ACT youth justice system.Blueprint for Youth Justice in the ACT 2012-22: Annual Progress Report 2013

Background

The ACT Government response to the HRC Report was informed by the advice of the Youth Justice Implementation Taskforce (the Taskforce).

The ACT Government committed to releasing a Blueprint for Youth Justice in the ACT (Blueprint) as the key platform of the response to the HRC Report. The purpose of the Blueprint was to guide the strategic direction of the youth justice system in the ACT over the next 5-10 years, incorporating key elements of a quality youth justice system identified by the HRC.